Bleeding accounts for a significant percent of all
trauma-related deaths, according to El Dorado County Fire Protection District
Capt. Jacob Poganski.

Although emergency medical services are available in the
community and often respond quickly, bystanders have the
opportunity to make a difference especially when it comes to bleeding.
“The top cause of preventable death in trauma is bleeding. About 20 percent of
the people who have died from traumatic injuries could have survived with the
quick administration of bleeding control,” the fire captain said.

The upcoming course will offer participants the opportunity to
learn how to intervene, if they encounter someone with severe bleeding, before
professional help arrives.

“It’s important because someone who witnesses a traumatic
incident — whether it’s a vehicle accident or act of violence such
as a shooting or stabbing — can play a critical role in helping someone
who has a bleeding emergency. Just by intervening as soon as the problem is
identified, the bystander essentially buys the victim time until EMS can arrive
and provide the patient care and transport to a hospital,” Poganski said,
adding, “So the bystander can be a critical link in the patient’s survival.”

Stop the Bleed — launched in 2015 by the White House — is a
national awareness campaign “intended to cultivate grassroots efforts that
encourage bystanders to become trained, equipped, and empowered to help in a
bleeding emergency before professional help arrives,” states information from
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“No matter how rapid the arrival of professional emergency
responders, bystanders will always be first on the scene. A person who is
bleeding can die from blood loss within five minutes, therefore it is important
to quickly stop the blood loss,” Homeland Security states.

The American College of Surgeons offers the following tips when
a bleeding emergency is identified: Call 911, ensure your safety and the
victim’s safety if possible and look for life-threatening bleeding. If uncontrolled
bleeding is found, compress and control bleeding by pushing down hard on the
wound with medical gauze or other materials at hand such as a tee-shirt. Apply
a tourniquet 2-3 inches above the injury if bleeding does not stop with direct
pressure. For more information on how you can “Stop the Bleed” visit
bleedingcontrol.org.

The local Stop the Bleed class will be held from 6:30 to 8:30
p.m., March 21, at Fire Station 28, 3860 Ponderosa Road, Shingle Springs.
Class space is limited. Those wishing to attend should RSVP to duncand@eldofire.com.